i went to the farmer's market on sat am for the first time in a few weeks and got all the fixins for salad. this morning i was inspired to pack myself a big salad for lunch because i had all the goodies in the house. the farmer's market is one of my favorite places to be. when my ex and i lived in brooklyn, ny we frequented the farmer's market and were so grateful for having a market that went year-round within walking distance of our apt. learning to eat seasonally was a struggle but now i can't imagine doing anything else. it became a saturday tradition for us to go to prospect park and let the dog run around during the few off-leash hours that were allowed and then walk to the farmer's market to do our shopping for the week. we'd walk home loaded down with bags of tasty goodies and fall onto the couch to enjoy a cup of coffee by 10a. the dog would sleep till monday and we'd plan our food adventures for the week.
when we moved to portland, that tradition continued and expanded. for the first few years, we just continued our sat market tradition. then a few years ago, we became members of a csa (community supported agriculture). basically, we bought shares in a farm at the beginning of the season and then got a box of produce every week based on what had come out of the ground from june to november. there's no planning of what you want to cook until you open that box every saturday morning. what an adventure! we picked a csa that had a booth at our favorite farmer's market. we'd open our box each sat am to see what surprises awaited us that week and then fill in what we hadn't received from the other vendors in the market. i felt like i had to document each week's bounty for posterity so i would unpack all the loot when we got home & take pics of it all laid out on the counter. i know, i'm a food nerd!so this summer has been a little hit & miss for me with the market. it's been hard to go to the market without her because it was such a part of who we were as a couple. i haven't really cooked for myself much since she left. i love to cook for other people but can't ever seem to motivate to just cook for myself. so this saturday i made a date with myself to go to the market and get some healthy food. i have learned to buy enough produce for one because i hate to waste. i want to reconnect with the enjoyment of preparing and eating food in a healthy way and not just to feed my body. i have to learn to enjoy cooking for myself as much as i love to cook collectively. cooking with and for someone is one of my favorite activities. it's amazing how *inspired* i get when i have someone to cook for.
it's interesting to learn how different people learn to eat different things. i wouldn't say i grew up in a *foodie* family. my mom recently expressed wonder at where i'd learned to eat radishes and beets! there have been a few people in my life that have introduced me to adventurous cuisines (aunt lisa to sushi, my big sister to indian, etc) but i can only give credit to my love of food and being a foodie to my ex. she was an amazing cook and could whip up meals out of thin air without ever referring to a single cookbook (even though she owned many). she really pushed me to open up my palette and try new things. hell, she made beets for 3 yrs and taunted me with her stained hands before i'd even try them. now i love them and make my own beet pickles all summer long. so thanks to a for showing me how *good* food could be and teaching my how to *eat* both well and responsibly.
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